Green tea is one of the most sought-after health drinks &consumed widely by fitness freaks as well as common people globally. It is consumed for its taste as well as with the goal of achieving better health.
Green tea is extracted from the leaves of the plant camelia sinensis.Commonly young leaves and budding leaves are used for making this beverage. Green tea intake is beneficial in numerous ways. It is one of the major sources of Catechins which are a type of polyphenol antioxidants with immense health benefits.
History
Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millennium BC. From here it spread to various parts of the world as a refreshing and stimulating drink. There are narrations about green tea in ancient Chinese texts about green tea. The book written by Lu Yu [ between 618- 907 AD] describes about the origin of green tea. Another book penned by Zen priest Eisai describes about the stimulant effects of green tea and how it is extracted from the leaves.
Green tea compounds- Antioxidants
Green tea contains polyphenols mostly catechins. The four main catechin compounds are (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), and (−)-epicatechin (EC).
Other components include three kinds of flavonoids, known as kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin.
Health benefits of green tea on heart, brain & skin
- Antioxidant potential
Catechins found in green tea are effective antioxidants potent enough to prevent oxidative stress.
- Boosts cardiovascular health
These are capable of preventing atherosclerotic plaque formation in Coronary artery and hence help in preventing heart diseases. This potential of green tea to thwart clot formation in blood vessels to heart and brain help in preventing heart attack and stroke. Furthermore, green tea can reduce can reduce triglycerides and cholesterol levels in the human blood.
- Prevents sun induced damage to your skin Antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and photo protective functions of green tea make it a great addition to healthy life styles. Green tea helps to protect the skin from sun induced damage and premature ageing. It has immunomodulatory and photo protective effects on skin against UV rays of sun. Catechins in green tea are natural antioxidants that has key role in the prevention of cell damage.
- Green tea helps to boost cognitive functions of your brain.
Caffeine, of green tea constituents can improve brain function, including mood, vigilance, reaction time, and memory. Amino acid L-theanine, of green tea can cross the blood-brain barrier.
Safety /cautionary warnings for green tea consumption
It is advisable to take only 1-2 cups of green tea a day and in this amount green tea intake is not associated with any detrimental effects to the body. However, if you are sensitive to caffeine green tea may cause tremors or shivering and anxiety.
Excessive intake may cause liver problems.
Drug interactions:
Green tea may interact with nadolol, a beta-blocker used for high blood pressure and heart problems lowering your blood pressure as much as it should. Green tea has presence of vitamin K in small amounts which can interact with proper functioning of blood thinner medicines. Therefore, for patients using beta blocker drugs, and blood thinners like aspirin, clopidogrel etc. green tea is not a good choice.
written by Dr sanjana p
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843789/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/srep24353
- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/camellia-sinensis